Neuromancer

Neuromancer is one of those books that modern sci-fi readers may dismiss as being “old news,” but they do so at their own peril. First published in 1984, Gibson’s novel was incredibly prescient; his description of “cyberspace” presaged much of what the world wide web would become, years ahead of its time.

Neuromancer’s influence can be seen virtually anywhere you look in the modern sci-fi scene. It popularized what would become known as the “cyberpunk” genre, and more modern works like The Matrix are direct descendants of the ideas Gibson explores. In fact, there’s a certain sense in which the very character of the modern day internet is indebted to Gibson’s vision (for more on this, check out Jack Womack’s afterword to the 2000 re-printing of the novel)!

The plot follows beleaguered hacker Henry Dorsett Case, who finds himself in difficult straits in Chiba City, Japan. In return for bailing Case out, a mysterious benefactor sets him on the path to find a piece of artificial(?) intelligence, and things get pretty crazy, pretty fast. Suffice to say, there are ninjas, samurai, a whole heap of drugs, and sojourns into cyberspace.

As a novel itself, Neuromancer is a little choppier than I’d like. It’s a challenging read at times, and wading through the characters’ slang can get tiring. Beach reading, this isn’t.

With that said, this is a cornerstone of the sci-fi genre, and I continue to be amazed that anyone could have written this book before the existence of the web. Like the subject of my next review (Snowcrash), this isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly a worthwhile read for any one who enjoys sci-fi generally.